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A More Natural Healthy Dog

Articles and Information about raising healthy pets.

Temple of the Dog

Our Philosophy

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Our Philosophy is that it is not necessary to use chemicals in everyday life. That there is often a natural remedy for a problem. Processed foods are less nutritious and unhealthier, than natural real food. Hidden chemicals or split ingredients hide the true nutritional value of food we feed our dogs. (& ourselves) Below is some information about providing a more natural lifestyle for your dog.


DOG FOOD

Poisonous Food For Dogs

It is important to know what "Human Food" could cause your dog harm.
Here is a list of foods that are deemed poisonous to dogs and how to tell if your dog is in distress. 

Symptoms
  • Signs of toxicity include vomiting, loss of appetite, diarrhea, abdominal pain, decreased urine production (possibly leading to lack of urine production), weakness and drunken gait.
  • Onset of signs typically occurs within 24 hours (though they can start just a few hours after consumption)
  • Your vet may start by inducing vomiting, or the stomach might be pumped (gastric lavage). Treatment involves aggressive supportive care - particularly fluid therapy and medications.

No No Food List

Grapes

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Grapes and Raisins can cause irreversible damage to the kidneys, possible resulting in death.
Ingesting as few as 4-5 grapes or raisins can be poisonous to a 20 pound dog, though the exact toxic dose is not established.

Chocolate and Cocoa

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Chocolate and cocoa contain a chemical called theobromide that can adversely affect the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.
Pure baking chocolate is most toxic, while milk chocolate requires a higher quantity to cause harm. A 20 pound dog can be poisoned after consuming about 2 ounces of baking chocolate, but it would take nearly 20 ounces of milk chocolate to cause harm. Ingestion of cacao bean mulch can also be toxic.
Signs include excitement, tremors, seizures, vomiting, diarrhea, abnormal heart rate/rhythm, drunken gait, hyperthermia and coma.
Your vet may induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage. Treatment includes administration of activated charcoal and aggressive supportive care with fluid therapy and medication.

Onions

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While onions go with pretty much anything savory, they can do more than just make your dog cry.

What's In It: Onions contain compounds that can be harmful to dogs if ingested enough.

What It Can Do: Onions can damage red blood cells in dogs causing them to become weaker and move around less. If enough onions are consumed, a blood transfusion might be necessary.

Yeast Dough

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Bread makes you fat? While having a chubby puppy isn't the worst thing in the world, yeast dough used to make bread should absolutely be kept away from dogs.

What's In It: The raw yeast dough from making bread can ferment in a dog's stomach, becoming toxic.

What It Can Do: Aside from the toxicity from alcohol being produced in the stomach, yeast dough can also expand in your dog's stomach or intestines and create a large amount of gas in the digestive system. This can lead to severe pain and a potentially ruptured stomach or intestinal tract. Vomiting, abdominal discomfort and lethargy can also occur.
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THC - Marijuana

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Marijuana contains THC or Tetrahydrocannabinol. This is what gives Cannabis its euphoric effects. THC is also necessary to open cannabinol receptors in humans. These receptors allow CBD or Cannabidiol to enter our systems. CBD gives cannabis its medicinal properties. Dogs can benefit greatly from CBD's. If you choose to use CBD with your pet, please ensure that they are HEMP derived. There is 0% THC in Hemp products making them safe for a dogs consumption. THC can make dogs dizzy, clumsy and lethargic, possibly fatal side effects.  

Macadamia Nuts

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Macadamia nuts, while generally not considered fatal, can cause your dog to experience severe illness.
The actually toxin is not known, nor is the mechanism of toxicity.
Ingestion of just a handful of nuts can cause adverse effects in any dog.
Signs include vomiting, weakness, depression, drunken gait, joint/muscle pain, and joint swelling.
Onset of signs typically occurs within 6-24 hours.
Dogs are typically treated symptomatically and recover within 24-48 hours. In-hospital supportive care may be recommend for dogs that become very sick.

Caffeine

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Caffeine is quite similar to the toxic chemical in chocolate. It can damage the heart, lungs, kidney and central nervous system.
Commons sources of toxicity include caffeine pills, coffee beans and coffee, large amounts of tea, and chocolate.
Signs typically begin with restlessness, hyperactivity and vomiting. These can be followed by panting, weakness, drunken gait increased heart rate, muscle tremors and convulsions.
Your vet may induce vomiting or perform gastric lavage. Treatment includes administration of activated charcoal and supportive care with fluid therapy and medications.

Avocados

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You might want to hold off sharing that guac with your doggy pal. He'll thank you for it later.

What's In It: Avocado leaves, pits, bark and fruit contain a toxin called persin.

​What It Can Do: Avocados can have toxic effects on dogs depending on the variety. They can cause upset stomachs in dogs, breathing difficulties, fluid buildup in the chest, but the most dangerous thing for them seem to the be the pit. Since it's slippery, the pit can accidentally be swallowed by dogs, leading to obstruction of the gastrointestinal tract. 

Cooked Bones

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When it comes to bones, the danger is that cooked bones can easily splinter when chewed by your dog. Raw (uncooked) bones, however, are appropriate and good for both your dog’s nutritional and teeth.

Candy & Gum

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Not only does candy contain sugar, but it often contains Xylitol, which can lead to the over-release of insulin, kidney failure, and worse.

Alcohol

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I’m sure you’ve heard of the birthday parties where the dog accidentally gets into some of the spilled keg beer, and then gets all silly to the amusement of the crowd. While it may be funny to you, it’s not funny to your dog. Alcohol can cause not only intoxication, lack of coordination, poor breathing, and abnormal acidity, but potentially even coma and/or death

Hops

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An ingredient in beer that can be toxic to your dog. The consumption of hops by your dog can cause panting, an increased heart rate, fever, seizures, and even death.

Spoiled Food

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Moldy or rotten foods can cause many problems for your dog, some more serious than others. Any food that seems "past its prime" should be kept out reach. Be especially careful to keep your dog away from trash cans.
Botulism, often from garbage, can cause paralysis, slow heart rate, constipation, and urine retention. An antitoxin is effective only if poisoning is caught early enough.
Rotten fruit produces ethanol, causing the same effects associated with alcohol or dough ingestion.
Moldy foods contain toxins that may cause muscle tremors, convulsions and drunkenness.
Therapy depends on the toxin. Your vet may induce vomiting. Sometimes, treatment includes activated charcoal. Supportive care with fluids and medications is often necessary.

Apple Cores

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While most people try to avoid eating the core of an apple, it's actually much more toxic to dogs. Along with a few other fruits, you should definitely be careful not to leave apple cores laying around for dogs to get their paws on.

What's In It: The core of an apple (as well as plums, peaches, pears and apricots) contain cyanogenic glycosides which is also known as cyanide.

What It Can Do: Some of the symptoms that come from ingesting the toxin are dizziness, struggling to breath, seizures, collapsing, hyperventilation, shock and even coma. 

Other Foods To Avoid

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Certain foods, while not considered toxic, can still be unhealthy for your dog. Avoid any foods that are high in fat, sugar or sodium. These foods can contribute to indigestion, obesity, dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and more. Dairy products may be difficult for dogs to digest. Corn cobs and bones can cause GI obstruction. Cooked bones may splinter and break easily, risking GI damage.Like people, too much junk food can cause poor condition and decreased energy. Remember that your dog is smaller than you and may be sensitive. What seems like "just a bite" for you is more like a small meal for your dog. If you want to feed homemade food, seek advice from your vet. You may wish to meet with a nutritionist for diet recommendations.


It should also be noted that the amount of damage these foods can do vary on the specific breeds and sizes of your dogs. Like humans, all dogs are different and can react differently to foods. Though it's better to keep them away from these foods just for good measure. 

Resources

http://dogs.about.com/od/dogandpuppyhealth/tp/toxicfood.htm 
​http://stst.io/GSCo9b6tj3nwtfAnh
http://www.caninejournal.com/foods-not-to-feed-dog/​

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Processed Dog Food

When researching processed dog food, we were shocked about what was in it. Now we realize that they are dogs and will eat anything, usually, but just because they will eat crap, literally, it does not mean that they will live healthy lives on a diet of it. Some companies even take an ingredient and split it into its parts, and label the parts as separate ingredients. Although their ingredient list is correct, it deceives the purchaser into believing that it is lower in the original ingredient. This also happens in human processed food. The following is a list of ingredients and their meanings.

Common Pet Food Ingredients

  • Meat by-products are parts of slaughtered animals that don't include meat. These include lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, liver, blood, bone, and stomach and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth, or hooves. The definition for meat by-products by the Association of American Feed Control Officials is:

    The non-rendered, clean parts, other than meat, derived from slaughtered mammals. It includes, but is not limited to, lungs, spleen, kidneys, brain, livers, blood, bone, partially defatted low temperature fatty tissue, and stomachs and intestines freed of their contents. It does not include hair, horns, teeth and hoofs. It shall be suitable for use in animal food. If it bears name descriptive of its kind, it must correspond thereto. (IE. Chicken By product is Chicken, Beef By product is Beef, Meat by product is any meat source, so "mystery meat" by product.
    A new category of pet food typically marketed as holistic, wellness, organic, ultra healthy, and/or simply premium pet food often emphasizes the use of human-grade meat sources only, with no animal meat by-products.

  • AAFCO has declared that using the term "human grade" is "false and misleading" to quote AAFCO in a letter sent to pet food manufacturers in (March 2004) Section IV – Pet Food Label Claims – Page 66 Section E. "Claims that a product contains or is made from ingredients that are “human grade”, “human quality”, “people foods”, “ingredients you (the purchaser) would eat” “food(s) that you (the purchaser) would feed your family” or similar claims are false and misleading..." Note that AAFCO actually has no official definition of human grade ingredients.

    The AAFCO only governs the pet food packaging and has no authority over websites or advertising. Companies making this claim, do so on websites or other advertising, but they never do so on the package which AAFCO governs. ISO has published a series of standards regarding the products of the topic and these standards are covered by ICS 67.120.10.[4]



Meat and Bonemeal

  • Meat and bone meal (MBM) is a product of the rendering industry. It is typically about 48 - 52% protein, 33-35% ash, 8-12% fat, and 4-7% moisture. It is primarily used in the formulation of animal feed to improve theamino acid profile of the feed. Feeding of MBM to cattle is thought to have been responsible for the spread of BSE (mad cow disease). In most parts of the world, MBM is no longer allowed in feed for ruminant animals. However, in some areas, including the US, MBM is still used to feed monogastric animals. It is widely used in the United States as a low-cost meat in dog food and cat food. [1]

    In Europe, some MBM is used as ingredients in petfood but the vast majority is now used as a fossil-fuel replacement for renewable energy generation, as a fuel in cement kilns, landfilling or incineration.

    Meat and bone meal has around two thirds the energy value of fossil fuels such as coal; the UK in particular widely uses meat and bone meal for the generation of renewable electricity. This was particularly prominent after many cattle were slaughtered during the BSE crisis.


  • Choline Chloride
  • ​Choline chloride is mass-produced and is an important additive in feed especially for-chickens where it accelerates growth. With urea it forms a deep eutectic solvent. Other commercial choline salts are choline hydroxide and choline bitartrate. In foodstuffs the compound is often present as phosphatidylcholine.

Lecithin 

Lecithin can easily be extracted chemically (using hexane, ethanol, acetone, petroleum ether, benzene, etc.) or mechanically. It is usually available from sources such as soy beans, eggs, milk, marine sources, rapeseed, cottonseed, and sunflower. It has low solubility in water, but is an excellent emulsifier. In aqueous solution, its phospholipids can form either liposomes, bilayer sheets, micelles, or lamellar structures, depending on hydration and temperature. This results in a type of surfactant that usually is classified as amphipathic. Lecithin is sold as a food supplement and for medical uses. In cooking, it is sometimes used as an emulsifier and to prevent sticking, for example in nonstick cooking spray.


For a very insightful look into the pet food industry please watch the documentary "Pet Fooled".

Ingredients You May Not of Heard Of...
 But Will Not Hurt Your Dog

Taurine, or 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, is an organic acid widely distributed in animal tissues. It is a major constituent of bile and can be found in the large intestine and accounts for approximately 0.1% of total human body weight. Taurine has many fundamental biological roles such as conjugation of bile acids, antioxidation, osmoregulation, membrane stabilization and modulation of calcium signaling. It is essential forcardiovascular function, and development and function of skeletal muscle, the retina and the central nervous system. Taurine is unusual among biological molecules in being a sulfonic acid, while the vast majority of biologically occurring acids contain the more weakly acidic carboxyl group. While taurine is sometimes called an amino acid, and indeed is an acid containing an amino group, it is not an amino acid in the usual biochemical meaning of the term, which refers to compounds containing both an amino and a carboxyl group.

It is necessary to supplement a Raw diet for cats with Taurine.

References

http://en.wikipedia.org

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Why Feed Raw Food Explained by Our Suppliers.

The Pros of a Raw Diet!!!
A raw diet provides a range of benefits that a commercially processed diet will never match. These include:Your dog will no longer have that distinctive doggie odour.

Shiny Coats & No More Doggie Odour
The numerous preservatives and additives and animal byproducts in your pet's commercially prepared food results in dull coats with a greasy residue and distinctive “doggie” odour. A raw diet contains NO preservatives, or additives. You should only use fresh human grade ingredients, which will produce shiny soft skin and coats with loads of shine and a lot less shedding.

Less to Scoop
Because a raw diet contains NO Fillers, NO Corn and NO Wheat. Free of fillers and preservatives a raw natural diet is more digestible and therefore less waste is eliminated. Stools are firm, formed and will biodegrade into your lawn in a matter of days!

Allergies and Food Sensitivities are Eliminated
Switching to a raw diet may diminish and ease the various health symptoms particularly food allergies. Raw diets are protein specific and our sensitivity formulas such as duck, rabbit, turkey or lamb may be the answer to solving your pet's allergic reactions (continual scratching, chewing feet, hot spots, ear infections etc.) Additionally many raw fed dogs have fewer health issues, meaning less expensive vet appointments.

Clean Teeth
Poor dental health particularly the build up of plaque and tartar is very common with a commercial dry dog food. A raw diet contains no added carbohydrates and a food without sugar and starches will naturally produce cleaner teeth. In addition the raw meaty bones in a raw feeding program will clean teeth to a beautiful pearly white and prevent unnecessary health concerns due to diseased teeth.

Drooling and Water Intake
With better digestibility your pet will no longer require the excessive amounts of water necessary to break down a dry food diet. In addition this will mean less drooling and improved liver and kidney functions extending the overall long term health of your pet.
Resource
http://www.bigcountryraw.ca/whyraw.php

VIDEOGRAPHER - RODNEY HABIB - PLANET PAWS

Rodney is a Videographer, & Pet Food Advocate, from Nova Scotia, Canada.
​ He has travelled the world to teach others about the pet food industry.
Below are examples of some of his work. Please follow Rodney on Social Media to learn more!!

Plastic Dog Toys

Dental Chew Toys such as nyla bone, contain small pieces of plastic to "scrub" off the tartar on the dogs teeth, while they chew on these "treats". The plastic is then ingested by the dog. These pieces of plastic, not only scrub their teeth but their intestines as well. There are many more natural products that are more beneficial for your dogs dental health.

Rawhide

Rawhide consists of processed cow hide. This hide is not quality for leather, but treated very similarly. It is preserved with formaldehyde, bleached, rolled into shapes, glued into these shapes, and dried. They are sometimes coloured with poisonous dyes or artificial flavours. A better alternative to what is known as rawhide, would be pork hide; raw, rolled and dried.
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